birthday finish!

thanks so much for all the kind birthday wishes this weekend! it was a very relaxing weekend, and i got to stitch, which always makes for a good time!

i used fancy fur and satin stitched for his hat and cuffs. the fibers might be really annoying when trying to stitch background behind them, but i love the effect!

his beard came next, and i had to put it down for a few days before i decided to just move forward with the alternating french knots using tulips. meh. 

somebody decided to be cheeky with his extra passport picture, so imagine my surprise when i came downstairs to this over the weekend! <3

et voila! background in place, and after a little beading session during sunday night football, we have a finish! i admit i was anxious to get this to the finish pile, because i am really excited about my next project on deck and can't wait to start!

the maiden voyage on a brand new canvas. also, Iowa.

true story: i'm a Texas girl. and as a Texan, it can sometimes be lost on us that there are other states in the continental US besides our own. i never dreamed that i would eventually end up with midwestern boy from the state of Iowa. want to know what came to mind when he first mentioned where he was from? 

turns out it's a beautiful and picturesque state, and actually does look like a travel brochure

fun fact: my mom still gets Iowa confused with Ohio and Idaho

the point of this brief geography lesson is that i've been trying to incorporate both of our home states into my needlepoint, and actually discovered that it's a little harder to find Iowa-themed needlepoint canvases (compared to the over-abundance that is offered for Texas)

this petei santa is the trifecta for the Iowa canvases that i've stitched. my man may not be winning any awards for being the Iowa State Alumni-of-the-Year but he is going to appreciate this cute canvas on our Christmas tree dadgummit!

anywho, i started by stitching his face/hands as shaded, then found the perfect shade of splendor silk and finished his coat and pants. 

his boots followed in sparkly kreinik to follow the directional pattern of the pants. 

i chose to coordinate the diagonal mosaic from his pants and carry it over to his hat for a little symmetry. the belt is padded satin stitch with a shiny gold kreinik belt buckle. i wanted to keep it relatively tame since i'll be beading the words (spoiler alert).

next on deck: a little fur, a little beard, and then a little beading! have a happy little weekend!

it's a double feature finish!

i really didn't expect to finish stitching the baby so quickly, but the stitch area was significantly smaller, and the stitches were just too fun to put down.

jesus

remember this fellow that i stitched a while back? he and whirling dervish were the first friends to be sent to the finisher this year and i'm happy to say that the fur has been trimmed, and he is ready for his permanent place on the christmas tree!

petei south pole santa

it's nice to be back...

the interesting thing about a hobby is how it changes and grows with you. these past few months as i slowly dusted off my needles and quickly realized how much i missed it, it hit me how much this little hobby of mine has grown with me the past few years. 

i always loved needlepointing: the minute i took that first beginner's class, there was no turning back. when i moved to new orleans, i found myself with tons of time to devote to my newfound hobby because at the time, i was married to someone who had to study for school so much. it was great! i could spend so many hours adding to my stash, picking out thread, working on projects...and i got so much completed! stockings, a belt, ornaments, gifts, a giant sampler, all within 2 years. but as my marriage slowly disintegrated and we started living 2 separate lives (because we were 2 different people), i retreated into my hobby. i used it as a way to escape the pain i was dealing with and instead channeled it into projects.

and then when i finally found the courage to change my circumstances, i decided to change my habits too. i didn't want to escape into my needlepoint hobby and i didn't want to use it as an excuse not to go out and live my life. so i took a much-needed break, and it was exactly what i needed. i took time to focus on me and the things that are truly important to me. i explored the extremely daunting world of dating again and ended up finding someone truly special. someone who recently encouraged me to revisit my hobby. and i was scared. what if it became another escape? what if i let it consume me?

but that's just not the case. and i realize now that because i'm different, needlepointing is different. i'm happy, content and fulfilled in my personal life, and because of that, my hobby is just that: a hobby. i find myself in a healthy relationship where we love spending time together, but also enjoy spending time apart exploring our own interests. there is a balance. i'll stop myself before this gets all sappy, but i wanted you to know that i'm in a really great place. the best.

so that brings us to the most important question of the past year...what have i been working on? when last we left off i believe i had finished this holiday cross stitch

and this cute little petei santa

i had also started working on my next petei santa, which i am happy to say, i finished!

obviously i haven't trimmed the fur yet, but i always wait until it comes back from the finisher before i "manscape."

i have more goodies to share, so check back soon!

a new start

after the success from my previous petei finish, i decided to capitalize and immediately start my next petei kit. 

i quickly stitched through the face and moved onto the top of the hat and mittens (kalem variations in burmilana)

next came the coat. a long cross in petite very velvet was the first layer, followed by the fern stitch in burmilana. the outer layers of the coat are the knotted stitch in alternating directions. 

he's all bundled up and ready for his buttons and turkey work fur!

it's a finish!

pardon my absence, i've been reveling in the Mardi Gras festivities of the city, and now i'm ready to get to the gym to work all that king cake out of my ass!

i also have a petite petei finish to share, i just love it...

a 2014 finish in the books!

almost finished!

the petei santa is almost done, and i love how it's starting to look!

after the final layer of the coat was stitched, i moved onto the fur and beard.

fur is a french knot/continental combination. super easy, and i love the effect!

now trying to find the motivation to continue basketweaving the background!

stretch before blogging...

i definitely feel like i need to do some serious stretching after my not-so-short blog break. this might be rusty, but i'm flying right in!

first, and most importantly, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. this has been an incredible journey, and thank you for giving me space to find my footing so this little bird could make its way back to the nest. 

^ that made sense....right? i was going for a bird-flies-back-to-the-blogging-nest metaphor there. 

more on my personal journey later. for now, i will give you an update and photo dump for what i've been working on lately!

i had this petei santa in my stash and luckily was able to snag a stitch guide and threads from the french knot! i'm on a big kick right now trying to work through everything that i have a guide and/or threads for before i move on to any new projects.

after completing the face, gloves and boots, i was ready to move on to the coat. the first layer called for an scotch stitch in alternate directions

there were some areas that were painted off-center, so i paid more attention to my counting.

the next layer was filling in the remaining red areas with a satin stitch in neon rays. it forms a cross-like shape, but i love how the different threads and shapes play off each other!

next came the silver layer, which called for a rice stitch combination in kreinik. 

his coat is starting to look so cute! 

petei!

the needlepoint community received wonderful news when Painted Pony announced yesterday that they are now the distributors for Designs by Petei!

i am so excited that Petei's wonderful designs will flourish and take over my Christmas tree for years and years!

talk about a coincidence that i just received a Petei santa in the mail this week to add to my stash!

Scottish Santa via ebay (partially worked, but a French Knot stitch guide/threads is in the mail!)

to show my excitement, here's a glance at my current Petei stash - stitched and unstitched

Celestial Santa

South Pole Santa

Whirling Dervish Santa

Kiss Me Santa

TCU Santa

OU Santa

Huzzah!!!! Petei's back!

petei santas!

remember when i obsessively stalked ebay for 32 hours won these adorable petei santas? i even went a step further and ordered one more, the whirling dervish santa. 

i gave the french knot a ring to order diana bosworth's precious stitch guides for them, and got the best package in the mail this week!

no stitch guide for celestial santa, but i have some ideas for him! my whirling dervish canvas just came last night, so these are both kitted up and ready to go! now the hard part will be, which to start first? 

oops i did it again...

i didn't mean to, it was harmless really!

i was innocently minding my own business on ebay when these two fellows hopped into my cart...

celestial santa by petei

north pole santa by petei

example of stitched celestial santa 

source 

i've cut back significantly on purchasing new canvases, but with the petei line's future uncertain i just couldn't resist!  

evil, thy name is ebay.